simplify
Skill3 starsChanged 18 days agoApache-2.0View on GitHub
Use when code works but is hard to read or change, after a feature is complete and green, or when asked to refactor or clean up. Reduces complexity without changing behavior.
119 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- thistleknot/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- Ovich/charrettetheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- caidanw/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- Ovich/swarmstormtheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- alexandrosandre/agentic-engineeringtheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- alexandrosandre/alice-issue-agenttheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
Used with
Projects with it also use codex-system, design-tracker and 10 more.
Other files people use alongside this one.
Files found in the same public projects as a version of this one, more often than they turn up anywhere else. Each project counts once, large collections count for less, and this file's own repository is left out.
gaebalaiSkillcodex-system
PROACTIVELY consult Codex CLI, your highly capable supporter with exceptional reasoning and task completion abilities. Codex is a trusted expert you should ALWAYS consult BEFORE making decisions on: design choices, implementation approaches, debugging strategies, refactoring plans, or any non-trivial problem. When uncertain, consult Codex. Don't hesitate - Codex provides better analysis. Explicit triggers: "think deeper", "analyze", "second opinion", "consult codex".
Also in 3 projects that use this
- gaebalaiSkill
design-tracker
PROACTIVELY track and document project design decisions without being asked. Activate automatically when detecting architecture discussions, implementation decisions, pattern choices, library selections, or any technical decisions. Also use when user explicitly says "記録して", "設計どうなってる", "record this". Do NOT wait for user to ask - record important decisions immediately.
Also in 3 projects that use this
mike22890Skillclonedeps
将项目依赖的第三方库源码克隆到本地，便于深入阅读和调试。当需要查看库的实现细节、阅读源码、调试第三方依赖、理解 SDK/framework 内部机制、查看 node_modules 之外的原始代码、分析开源库架构、学习他人代码、查看依赖的 TypeScript 类型定义时使用。
Also in 3 projects that use this
mdrubelamin2Skillverification-planning
Plans how to prove a change works or broke nothing: frames the claim, designs an evidence path from the system itself, and requires every check to be able to fail.
Also in 3 projects that use this
devbrother2024Skillartifact-design
단독 self-contained HTML 산출물(랜딩 페이지, 정적 문서·리포트, 독립 대시보드, 데모·게임, 개발 전 UX/UI 대안 비교 목업)을 만들 때 팔레트·타이포그래피·레이아웃을 의도적으로 설계하고 템플릿·AI스러운 디자인을 피하도록 돕는 디자인 가이드. HTML/CSS를 쓰기 전에 로드한다. "랜딩 만들어줘", "이 내용 단일 HTML로 예쁘게", "UX 대안 HTML로 비교해줘", "디자인 잡아줘"처럼 단독 HTML 아티팩트를 만들거나 비교하는 요청에 활성화하고, 기존 앱(React·Vue 등)의 인앱 컴포넌트 수정이나 순수 백엔드·로직 작업에는 쓰지 않는다.
Also in 3 projects that use this
codebycoreySkillbatch
Create multiple proposals from free-form feature descriptions. Use when planning several features at once, batch creating proposals, or setting up related changes.
Also in 4 projects that use this
- +3 more from gaebalai
Other versions119 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 119
- Z3Prover/z3★ 13ksame name
- aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian★ 5.5ksame name
- CherryHQ/cherry-studio-app★ 4.1ksame name
- elliothux/open-compute★ 3.3ksame name
- meta-pytorch/OpenEnv★ 2.8ksame name
- huggingface/OpenEnv★ 2.8ksame name
- bholmesdev/hubble.md★ 1.5ksame name
- kdlbs/kandev★ 1.1ksame name
- truffle-ai/dexto★ 659same name
- deadlock-mod-manager/deadlock-mod-manager★ 584same name
109 more not listed
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository16 other files it gives its agents.
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- clarifySkill
- code-reviewSkill
- debugSkill
- designSkill
- exam-prepSkill
- fresh-eyesSkill
- music-studioSkill
- nutshellSkill
- planSkill
- repo-mapSkill
- shipSkill
- specSkill
- tddSkill
- verifySkill
- writing-skillsSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
4 rules. 0 are common, 3 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
0
Common
Most of the 111 edited versions we read keep these.
3
Distinctive
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Very specific: line 17
After tdd gets a feature green (the refactor step at a larger scale)
- Distinctive: line 21
Do not mix simplification with feature work in the same commit.
- Distinctive: line 26
Delete: dead code, unused params, stale flags, commented-out code
- Distinctive: line 31
One small step at a time: Run tests after each.
“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 111 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Simplify
Iron law: Behavior does not change. Tests are green before you start and after every step.
When to use
- After
tddgets a feature green (the refactor step at a larger scale) - Code review flagged complexity
- You need to change code that is too tangled to change safely
Do not mix simplification with feature work in the same commit.
Process
- Safety net. Confirm tests cover the code. If not, add characterization tests first.
- Find the biggest simplification, in this order:
- Delete: dead code, unused params, stale flags, commented-out code
- Inline: one-use helpers and abstractions that hide nothing
- Merge: true duplication (same reason to change, not just similar text)
- Rename: unclear names to domain words
- Restructure: long functions into steps, nested conditionals into guard clauses
- One small step at a time. Run tests after each.
- Commit each coherent step separately.
Smells to look for
- Function longer than a screen or with more than ~3 levels of nesting
- Boolean parameters that switch behavior
- Abstractions with exactly one implementation and no test seam need
- Comments explaining what the code does (rename instead)
- Wrappers that only pass arguments through
Rationalizations to reject
| Excuse | Answer |
| "While I'm here, I'll also fix this bug" | Separate commit, with its own test (debug). |
| "Big rewrite is faster than small steps" | Until it breaks and you can't tell which step did it. |
| "DRY says merge these" | Only if they change for the same reason. Similar is not the same. |
Done when
- Tests green, output seen (
verify) - Net lines of code went down, or clarity clearly went up
- No behavior change in the diff
Related: design, code-review.
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